I've been getting those scammer emails the last couple of weeks! They're definitely clever in using the title of my book or something related to it that gets me to open the email in the first place. I haven't fallen for any but can absolutely see how one could!
I think a lot of us had a flurry of them; it's gone quiet for me now. One of them told me how many Amazon reviews I have and claimed "you deserve so many more". Love-bombing for writers!
Can't blame you, I love looking at them and they're a pleasing size to hold, too - I thought the type might be too small but it's fine. Thanks for popping by, Clare.
This is fascinating, Emily! What happened with the scammer you replied to about your book? I’m getting dozens of those emails. At first I replied, and the back and forth was intense. ‘Do you really want to leave the livelihood of your family up to big publishers?’ ‘Really? Putting food on the table is your goal? You should value yourself and your work more than that.’ Way to walk away from a marketing spiel feeling worse about yourself! I’m curious to hear what happens to the people who do fall for these scams…
Meanwhile, that priest! I can’t believe he pushed you to confess to sins you didn’t commit! There’s a story in here for sure.
There are a lot of great gems in this piece! I’m fascinated by scammers and grifters too, particularly those who don’t even realise what they’re doing.
I can't get over the way they replied to you. I wonder now if we should test the thing fully so that we can not only lay out the tactics they use - beginning with flattery, moving into a weird sort of shame-based pushiness when challenged - but also give them a chance to prove their ability to move mountains for any book they choose and see what happens so that we can document it. Since I've written this post several authors have contacted me to say they're getting these emails every day.
Hi! So I went a little further with this enquiry, asked some genuine questions and got some genuine answers back, even to the point where I felt convinced to sign on for one of these offers. They sent me a contract, which then came from an entirely different name. A male Indian name. The original email was from a white female. I now just zoomed in on her image to see it’s definitely AI generated. The name seems fake too and there are no business details listed, no name or number. The Gmail address is a personal address. Also suspicious is just about all these emails are worded almost identically; and they all coincidentally have a group of 2000+ passionate readers. Hm. Anyway, I have blocked the email as I was getting pushy responses every hour or so.
Ooh the plot thickens! The hourly pestering is alarming to say the least. I wonder what would happen if I responded with a suggestion that they might like to read my forthcoming (completely made-up) novel, with its stunning (falsified) jacket, and distribute it to their reviewers. I could then send them hourly prompts asking what they thought of my luminous prose and searingly honest account of the love between two lost souls.
I’m reading Persuasion for the first time, and it’s so good! I’ve also just started Th Salt Path as we’re doing it for my library’s book club program. I dove deep into the accusations before I started, and it’s really tainted my perception of it. I wonder if I would have enjoyed it if I’d read it before the accusations came out?
Hard to tell, isn't it? I don't think the writing is the exceptional, soul-searching, connecting kind that I associate with the best memoirs. I would still love to walk the path (but I'd take a hat!! goodness me). I am so looking forward to Persuasion, which remains in memory as a contender for favourite. Although fresh from P&P that feels hard to beat!
Hi Emily! I just went to read Part 2 of your Leo-ChatBot posts and it is locked to unpaid subscribers. I gather you need to unblock it? I'd love to read it.
Thank you for being interested in the piece! I'm going to be sending it out to everyone with my next newsletter. I'm trying to do a gradual unlocking of everything that originally went out to paid subscribers.
I've been getting those scammer emails the last couple of weeks! They're definitely clever in using the title of my book or something related to it that gets me to open the email in the first place. I haven't fallen for any but can absolutely see how one could!
I think a lot of us had a flurry of them; it's gone quiet for me now. One of them told me how many Amazon reviews I have and claimed "you deserve so many more". Love-bombing for writers!
Hahaha! ‘Thank you friendly scammer! But no …'
those Austen editions are so pretty! i followed you here after your instagram post today and i guess i'm still fixated on visual stimuli 🙈
Can't blame you, I love looking at them and they're a pleasing size to hold, too - I thought the type might be too small but it's fine. Thanks for popping by, Clare.
This is fascinating, Emily! What happened with the scammer you replied to about your book? I’m getting dozens of those emails. At first I replied, and the back and forth was intense. ‘Do you really want to leave the livelihood of your family up to big publishers?’ ‘Really? Putting food on the table is your goal? You should value yourself and your work more than that.’ Way to walk away from a marketing spiel feeling worse about yourself! I’m curious to hear what happens to the people who do fall for these scams…
Meanwhile, that priest! I can’t believe he pushed you to confess to sins you didn’t commit! There’s a story in here for sure.
There are a lot of great gems in this piece! I’m fascinated by scammers and grifters too, particularly those who don’t even realise what they’re doing.
I can't get over the way they replied to you. I wonder now if we should test the thing fully so that we can not only lay out the tactics they use - beginning with flattery, moving into a weird sort of shame-based pushiness when challenged - but also give them a chance to prove their ability to move mountains for any book they choose and see what happens so that we can document it. Since I've written this post several authors have contacted me to say they're getting these emails every day.
Hi! So I went a little further with this enquiry, asked some genuine questions and got some genuine answers back, even to the point where I felt convinced to sign on for one of these offers. They sent me a contract, which then came from an entirely different name. A male Indian name. The original email was from a white female. I now just zoomed in on her image to see it’s definitely AI generated. The name seems fake too and there are no business details listed, no name or number. The Gmail address is a personal address. Also suspicious is just about all these emails are worded almost identically; and they all coincidentally have a group of 2000+ passionate readers. Hm. Anyway, I have blocked the email as I was getting pushy responses every hour or so.
Ooh the plot thickens! The hourly pestering is alarming to say the least. I wonder what would happen if I responded with a suggestion that they might like to read my forthcoming (completely made-up) novel, with its stunning (falsified) jacket, and distribute it to their reviewers. I could then send them hourly prompts asking what they thought of my luminous prose and searingly honest account of the love between two lost souls.
Lol! Fight fire with fire, I say!
I’m reading Persuasion for the first time, and it’s so good! I’ve also just started Th Salt Path as we’re doing it for my library’s book club program. I dove deep into the accusations before I started, and it’s really tainted my perception of it. I wonder if I would have enjoyed it if I’d read it before the accusations came out?
Hard to tell, isn't it? I don't think the writing is the exceptional, soul-searching, connecting kind that I associate with the best memoirs. I would still love to walk the path (but I'd take a hat!! goodness me). I am so looking forward to Persuasion, which remains in memory as a contender for favourite. Although fresh from P&P that feels hard to beat!
Hi Emily! I just went to read Part 2 of your Leo-ChatBot posts and it is locked to unpaid subscribers. I gather you need to unblock it? I'd love to read it.
Thank you for being interested in the piece! I'm going to be sending it out to everyone with my next newsletter. I'm trying to do a gradual unlocking of everything that originally went out to paid subscribers.
Awesome, thanks.